Musical instrument



April 15, 1930. F. c. PARKER, JR 1,755,019

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed May 5, 1929 III...

Inventor fizmaarizw Attorney Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES FRAHK C. PARKER, JR., OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Application filed May 3,

This invention relates to an improved musical instrument and has more particular reference to an instrument of the string family and is expressly but not necessarily designed for use in association with banjos,

guitars, and ukeleles.

The improvement is principally designed for use in association with instruments of the plectrum style and it is associated with the neck and body of the instrument in a manner to permit limited swinging motion of the neck, in order to produce an appealing character of tone, which is generally referred to in the profession as vibrato.

The vibrato tone capable of accomplisl1- ment with the improved neck mounting is of a wavering crying nature, somewhat similar to that produced on a Hawaiian steel guitar through the medium of a sliding steel. This style of tone as is generally recognized is of a crooning and seemingly crying effect, and is quite effective for instruments of this particular species.

The particular construction for accomplishing this improved result will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a musical instrument, (a ukelele) embodying the improved swingably mounted neck.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a horizontal detail sectional view through the neck mounting means.

The gist of the invention consists in an appropriate type of connection wherein the neck may be hingedly and swingably mounted on the body. Various means may well be employed for accomplishing this result, but 4 I have found it expedient and practical to provide a simple spring connection. This spring is generally designated by the reference character 4, and is of a U-shaped formation, being constructed of resilient metal of proper tensile strength. This part 4 is somewhat in effect a coupling and is of a size to permit it to be interposed between the inner end of the neck 5 and the frontal portion of the body 6. The connection comprises arm portions 6 and 7 riveted or otherwise fastened 1929. Serial no. 360,023.

to the neck andbody respectively. The free ends of the arms are provided with one or more bolts 8 to limit the spacing of the arms in a direction away from each other.

The reference characters 9 designate strings and lO the anchoring device or tail piece with which the strings are connected in a customary manner. The neck is equipped with a finger board, if desired, and with the usual frets 11 and tuning pegs 12, with which the outer ends of thestrings are connected in theusual way. Instead of employing a notched nut 13, I employ a nut which has openings therethrough and a string to extend through these openings before being connected with the pegs 12'.

This is regarded as essential to prevent displacement of the strings while bodily swinging the neck 5.

In practice, the chords and tones are produced by the customary fingering and when the lingers are set for playing a particular chord, then the neck is worked with respect to the body in a sort of rocking manner to tension the strings to raise the pitch and to permit it to resume its natural state again, whereby to produce a wavering tone effect. The strength of the spring connection 4 is such as to maintain the neck normally in a plane with the top of the body and to permit the string to resume a natural tune state. Thus, proper tuning is permitted and the vibrato eflect is merely produced by varying the rate of vibration of the strings as the various chords are produced.

It is thought that by considering the description in connection with the drawings. a clear understanding of the invention will be had. Therefore a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to, in actual practice, if desired.

I claim:

1. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, a body, a neck, and a resilient hinged connection between the body and neck, said connection being in the form of a U-shaped spring, the arms of which are rigidly fastened to the body and neck respectively.

2. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, a body, a string anchoring device on said body, a neck having its fingering surface disposed in a normal plane with the top of said body and having its inner end spaced from the central portion of the body, a U-shaped hinge and mounting spring interposed between the neck and body and having its arms rigidly fastened to the neck and body, said neck being provided with tuning pegs, and a transverse apertured nut, and strings anchored on said device at one end and connected at the opposite ends with said tuning pegs and having the adjacent end portions passing through the apertures in said nut In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK C. PARKER, J R. 

